A Dangerous Game
by IzzyandDesRoxSox
Summary: Alexander Johnson had it all. And it was just perfect, period. But after a car accident, one little secret threatens to tear it all apart. He watches his perfect life come crashing down, learn the lies of Alice May, the woman he loves, and is just about to learn how blood runs thicker than water... by just who his parents really are...
1. Born to Die

**Title: **A Dangerous Game

**Summary:** Alexander Johnson had it all. And it was just perfect, period. But after a car accident, one little secret threatens to tear it all apart. He watches his perfect life come crashing down, learn the lies of Alice May, the woman he loves, and is just about to learn how blood runs thicker than water... and who his parents really are.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but my OCs. This is considerably an OC centric story, but I promise all the beloved characters play their important roles as always. I just, well, think of the seriousness of this story as Nolan-verse Batman level. XD. Yeah, shit's going down. Hope you enjoy!

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**xxx**

_'Feet don't fail me now'_

His mind processed a million things all at once as his entire life flashed before his eyes, from beginning to— although slightly hesitant to admit it— well, this was the end. Wasn't it?

It was, wasn't it? He just knew it.

_'Take me to the finish line'_

She did not whimper. She did not cry. She hardly made a sound. On the outside, at least.

She was practically screaming like a madwoman on the inside. Oh god— no, please not him, anyone but him— let this all be some drug enduced hallucenation or a simple nightmare.

She felt her sanity split in two at that very moment. Half of her was heartbroken and hysterical, in total shock, as her piercing eyes couldn't bear to look at her grievously injured lover. They couldn't part ways like this, _'Till death do us part'_ her ass! It couldn't be, no it just couldn't be. Not when they were so close...

In the meanwhile the other half consisted of nothing but pure rage, wanting to literally rip apart those responsible for all this madness. All the lies, the deception, the cruelty, the greed. It always came back right on her- all this suffering, torture, and deaths of all those she loved, the little family she had left. And now _him?_

God— _please_— no.

"Alex." was all that came from a voice- it wasn't hers- not really. It was a ghost of herself, a hoarse, broken, whisper.

"Stay with me, please..." her voice was shaking by this rate, fighting everything at that moment, herself and the increasing urge to break down included.

_'Oh my heart it breaks every step that I take'_

Suddenly he was no longer as numbd as he had thought he was, as he could feel the whisps of his fiancé's silver blond hair brushing against face, her body carefully right by his side and somewhat on top of him as well; one hand pressed down as pressure on the bleeding bullet wound on his chest, the other carressing his cheek.

And god, he was losing his own mind.

He didn't want to leave her. That part he was a hundred percent certain of. He wanted to stay with her, he wanted to end everything he had started, defeat everyone and everything out to get them. He didn't want things to end this way, he never wanted them to become like this, Hell he never wanted things to be like this in the first place.

But he just wanted this pain to _end._ The agony was unbearable and eating him alive. Kill me, he wanted to scream. Just get it over with, I can't take it anymore.

But how he could he break her heart like that?

_'Don't make me sad, don't make me cry.'_

Perhaps he lacked the will to live, but had the strength to physically carry on. Or maybe vice versa. All he could think in his mind over and over was her. Nobody else in the world mattered— not that vicious little bird, not that dim witted couple, not even hia own father.

And yet at the same time, why did it feel like he was giving in to them.

_'Sometimes love is not enough and the road gets tough'_

How could he let _them_ win so easily then if he allowed his own self to break?

_'I don't know why'_

He shuddered, starting to feel oddly cold.

Although, from his clouded vision, no longer was her face. Instead was the face of his mother in his own mad vision, her smile providing a strange feeling of warmth against the cold. It was rather relaxing.

So Death for him would come like slumber?

_'Come take a walk on the wild side, let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain'_

"Alex? Alex? ALEX!" she shrieked, smacking his face gently around to keep his eyes open. He stirred here and there and made the slightest noise of a moan, which was a close enough sound she needed at least. He was awake and moving at least, he still had a pulse. For now.

Where was everyone? Where was the gang? They were nearby sometime recently. Surely they didn't pull some cruel idea of a revenge and run off on her to get back for the two times she had attacked them in the past? Oh god, she hoped not. Do whatever they wanted with her, do their worst, anything, but no— they wouldn't take it out on him as well— would they?

Her piercing blue near-violet like eyes turned towards the couple staring hand in hand, eyes widened in dismay and uncertainy. How long had they stood there frozen?

"Don't- don't just stand there! Help me! Help him! Help us- please!" she continued to plead, her patient long off the edge. Her body was shaking violently as more tears continued to stream down her face.

They did nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Nothing but just glance at this sobbing, hysterical, uncontrollable girl.

_'You like your girls insane'_

She saw the woman glance to her husband, a pleading urge in her eyes wanting to help, but he merely stood his ground. Instead he lowered his head down sadly, as if this mocking silence was their way of saying as stupid as—

"Natasha... I... lo- love.. you.." he said, just barely surpassing a whisper, or even considerably audible.

_'Choose your last words'_

She couldn't tell what she had done at that moment, something like she had scrunched her face to hold down more tears from falling. After all, she was supposed to be so much stronger than this.

On the outside at least.

_'This is the last time'_

He ashamed and in one small sense, couldn't bear to live with himself.

He failed _her. _He had failed everyone. He failed to save his mother. He had, or at least in one sense, failed to save his father too.

_'Cause you and I-'_

"It wasn't supposed to be this way..." she chokes, loyal to his side.

_'We were born to die.'_

**xxx**

* * *

_Born to Die- Lana Lang_


	2. Natasha

_I'm coming home, I'm coming home  
Tell the world I'm coming home  
Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday  
I know my kingdom awaits  
And they've forgiven my mistakes  
I'm coming home, I'm coming home  
Tell the world that I'm coming home_

_'I'm Coming Home'  
-Skylar Grey_

* * *

**xxx**

Ed Machine was a not a man who feared Death.

As long as he could remember since his earliest childhood memories, his father, an embittered war hero, taught him the two most important life strategies on strength. Firstly, to be strong like a mountain, one must act like one, and become as cold as one in their soul. Mercy was never an option, just the rarity of a 'pardon' because a coward could entertain him well enough. And the other important secret that his father only shared with him was to embrace Death. Overtime through many years he learned to accept it.

But he never did embrace or fear it- he merely did his best to avoid it.

He succeeded in doing so for many years too, especially during the rise of his success and fortune. It seemed as if there was never a chance he would've gone wrong at all, he'd done exactly as his father asked of him while on his deathbed.

And then his goddaughter was born.

Her parents were two 'acquaintances' of Ed, to put it best. He was not particularly fond of them as they thought they were towards him, and he only kept them around because of how highly amusing they were. No they weren't lively people, but the stories that circulated around them never ever seemed to bore Ed. Rumor had it that Maria and Vasili Ivanov had made love when they met each other for the first time- after discovering she had been an assassin disguised as a personal maid of his, and falling into a duel nearly to the death. After many 'blessed' toasts to the birth of his first and what would be his only child, Vasili half drunkenly declared Ed to be the godfather. He shook it off as nothing but mindless blundering, but sure enough, the next day Maria had called up asking why he had yet to come visit his goddaughter.

Natasha Ivanov they named her. She was a good looking child, inherited her mother's beauty, thank goodness, for Ed could not see why previously women had swooned and fawned over such an ugly, thick headed man like Vasili. She had a perfectly round head with headful of soft, angelic white-blond hair, and eyes an intimidating color of piercing blue that Ed could've sworn were violet. For all the times Ed had come to see her, she rarely, if never cried. She seemed to observe with her large innocent eyes, carefully taking in everything that was going on, and remaining silent. She was a girl of many secrets- just like her mother, who Ed had almost never been able to get more than five or six short sentences out of whenever they met at parties.

Ed found himself taking Natasha under his wing. So much for the remark of being so silent, for as a child she was very active, talkative, and energetic. Whenever Vasili and Maria traveled around parts of Europe, which were _very_ often, he was left with Natasha's custody. Ed tried his best to look after, but he was a man born with a natural lack of patience, and just simply wasn't a paternal person. Or so he'd thought. He discovered that over time Natasha's mindless blabbering shortened, would often quietly follow him around with wide eyes, and tried her very best to get him to like her. He couldn't help but smile and soften up just a bit, maintaining a distant but caring almost father-daughter like bond with the girl.

Perhaps too distant. After she turned twelve, one or the other took off, they must've. Ed suddenly felt too old to even remember who was there or what even happened. All he knew was the next time he ended up seeing his goddaughter would be seven years later and completely different. Gone was the cherubic round face filled with youthful innocence. Instead before him was a young, beautiful, matured woman with a hardened face that made Ed's insides turn. He knew exactly what had happened, her parents had broken the sweet child she had once been and morphed them into exactly what they wanted- a carbon copy of themselves...

Or perhaps not. There was a fiery rebellious side within the young woman, an odd trait that seemed to come from neither parent. This brought a brief and small smile on Ed's face, but did not last because the worst had yet to come.

_'She didn't recognize me.'_

It was true. Admittedly, time had not been very kind to Ed and he didn't age very gracefully. He lacked the somewhat thick amount of chestnut brown hair he once had when she was a child, and instead was thinning grey hair at the sides and seemingly permanent dark bags under his eyes. He was a little too old looking than what he really was, an age which of course he rarely ever mentioned, mind you.

* * *

_Deacon Carlswell never even had a daughter, or so she had mentioned. In all honesty, Ed had no idea who the hell this Deacon man even was, but was probably just nothing more than a pawn for her alias. Knowing how naïve the Mystery Incorporated members were, he knew deep down they'd never figure out who she truly was; Not Alice May but the daughter nd only child of the bold Vasili Ivanov-_

_"Natasha." he spoke, somewhat quietly, after a pause of long silence when the two entered the limousine together after he had bailed her out the first time._

_She looked visibly frozen, disturbed almost, and noticed her fair skin flare instantly into million of goosebumps. Slowly, she raised her head, eyes visibly startled. Obviously, discovering her true identity must've caught her off guard._

_"H- How did you-" she stopped and cleared her throat, although the second time again she spoke shortly after that didn't sound any more smooth than before. "Why did you call me that?"_

_He gave her a distant smile and waited for a moment, as if expecting his smile to spark back any possible memories. The wheels in her head seemed to be turning slowly, looking back and thinking long and hard, as she furrowed her brows together in confusion. Finally, he told her one thing and one thing alone._

_"дядя.." _

_For the first time in the longest time_—_ far too long in fact_— _since the long seven years he had last seen her, since the entire time he had first seen her once again reformed into a chameleon well and ready to become Alice May for the task, she smiled._

_And he swore deep in the orbs of her bright eyes, a light of little Natasha returned no, had always been there._

* * *

He had gone against his father's word to not become close to others, but he didn't care. Not really. It was just a child, after all. Besides, as she grew older her parents became controlling and secretive over Natasha, and as time passed on they rarely to eventually never went to any social events with Ed. He hadn't seen his goddaughter in over seven years. Perhaps he did miss her a little bit, but that never affected him in any way that it'd come back to bite him in the ass.

Well, not until now, of course.

_"дядя.." _a soft voice whispered from behind. The tone was meant in a loving manner, but came out rather awkward as well. For despite being culturally entirely Russian, she was never able to catch on with the language, so often times the words, accents, and the flow of the tongue to it came out sounding wrong.

He didn't turn around, no, he couldn't bring himself to face her. But her words echoed in his mind and with a wrenched heart, he dared himself to turn around and face her piercing near-violet colored eyes.

"You- you asked for me?" she continued, hesitantly. Her voice was masked by the false cheeriness in the one she had when under disguise as Alice, whilst also masking her own worry and stress. She was anxious as to whether or not she was going to receive a personal mission, in which deep on the inside she sincerely hoped not.

Ever since being bailed out, despite the events caused by Alice May were considerably 'wiped clean' the damage had been done and stains remained. To the world she was someone else that never even existed, and this someone else nothing but typical scum criminal. This was like a harsh punch straight in the gut to Natasha. Trying to adapt had been difficult lately. She could rarely go out in public, and when doing so she had to go under cautious disguise, or else 'Alice May' would be recognized and thrown right back into prison.

She'd gone under disguises numerous times before- but never before had she ever, nor could she bear it now, _live _under one.

"Natasha, these are dark times. You and I both know this." he began, pausing perhaps once or twice as he said these sentences. This was the first time he was fully admitting this to himself, besides her. Up until now, although aware of the risks of everything, he hadn't thought of the fury of it or the effects to others. Others like her.

"So I've heard." Natasha replied back bitterly, crossing her arms. She was more or less aware of the entire situation concerning the secret treasure and the past of Crystal Cove, and reflecting back on it did nothing more than just piss her off. She didn't care for the treasure, wasn't even born in Crystal Cove, she could go on, but the point being- she couldn't fucking _stand_ any of it because all it did was ruin her life!

"I'm being serious! Now listen up; I have an important assignment for you that I've been saving for the longest time. I- I was never quite sure when the time would be right, but now it seems there isn't really any other option." Ed began, turning just as he noticed his goddaughter's facial expression drop from wide eyed attention to hidden dread.

"There's a young man who recently received a degree in journalism. Remarkably smart, although nothing too eye catching to the press."

"Puh. What's his name?" Natasha huffed, arching a delicate brow up sharply. With the exceptions of her godfather, the a few business associates from the past, and the so called relationship built from fear and respect of her father, she disliked men strongly. According to the world that her father had brought her up in, there was never time for something as silly as love. It would make her look weak and pathetic, to which one of the rare times, she truly did agree with her father. She never cared. She had only lost her virginity to a young business associate of her father (what was his name again? Like she even cared to remember.) because it was something she knew she was going to be nagged about years down the line, so might as well 'kick the bucket'.

"Alexander Johnson." Ed answered sharply, although with a curious look on his face. He proceeded to hand her a manilla colored file. In her hands she delicately strummed her nails at the top, but never once opened.

"And my rifle's got his name written all over it?" she asked, blinking her eyes and running a hand through her thick, silver blond hair. It was extremely difficult to get her godfather to ever smile, let alone the seemingly impossible action to laugh, but she wanted to give herself credit and say that was a damn good try. She giggled herself.

"No Natasha."

Natasha ceased laughter and regained her self control. "Erm, well I tend to go with... 'cleaner' methods if you will. But—"

"I'm not asking you to kill the man, Natasha." Ed stated calmly, already prepared for either an outburst or for his goddaughter to become suddenly startled. Luckily for the sake that he was low on Advil pills, she only became deathly quiet in confusion.

"Then what? Am I supposed to be his bodyguard or something?" she scoffed sarcastically, at a complete lost.

"More or less. Listen to my words when I tell you; Alexander Johnson can not, I repeat _not_ ever come to Crystal Cove." Ed's voice suddenly became darker, as he suddenly approached Natasha with the intentions to seemingly stare directly into her face. His cold features meant every single word all right.

"Is he after someone in particular, like you?" she couldn't help but continue this interrogation. After saying this question, her small hands curled into fists, her jaw clenching at the thought of anyone ever hurting her godfather. He was the only family she had left after all, and perhaps the only one that ever truly cared about her. Well, in his own way of showing it.

"The opposite actually. Let's just say there's someone after him. Well, there will be, only if he comes to Crystal Cove or they know of his existence." Ed replied, as Natasha raised her eyebrows in the irony to the words. But she also frowned.

"Uncle please." she stuttered a bit before shaking it off. "Don't shut me out like that. Tell me the truth! _I'm_ the one who's gonna get fucked out there." she quickly continued, rather bitterly.

Ed then, oddly enough, gave her a rare small smile. She had this amusing ferocity that both of her parents lacked greatly, even in the time of their eventful youth.

"There are things out there- things you don't know and I'm not quite sure of about. I am sure of this though- if Alexander's identity is discovered, then you, I, and all hope for anything is lost." he explained to her, lowering his head down in worry over the last statement.

Still, Natasha could not shake away the bitter annoyance on how he kept avoiding the details she wanted. '_Hope for anything lost? I mean, really?'_

"I don't work for some group effort profit like you do, Uncle." as she narrowed her dark violet-like eyes into slits.

"Don't consider this as a job offer, consider it an order." Ed merely replied with the wave of his hand. He sighed to himself, he honestly didn't want it to have to come to this, into forcing her into it against her will.

"You're not my boss!" she gasped.

"No, but I _am _your godfather. And for your sake, for the sake of me being able to sleep easy, just trust me." and suddenly Natasha could see the shadows of her uncle's aged face, the wrinkles, and something weary in his eyes- like desperation. She was taken back, and the bitterness she held was quickly tossed away.

Glancing directly at him, suddenly it was as if she got a majority of the details she wanted without a single word being spoken.

"Get the hell out of town while I still can..." she uttered aloud breathlessly, not particularly to him. It wasn't even much of a question either, but like a thought that was just accidentally said out loud. Once again she would no longer have her godfather, the only family she had left that she was starting to become close to again, in her life.

And this time— just from the look in his eyes— she could tell that time— dark as it could be now— would not eventually reunite them.

Ed Machine was a not a man good at making personal things known. He hesitated for a moment, scratching the back of his head, and shaking his head. He had not plotted as far as a proper goodbye to his goddaughter, his only remaining family left, and the closest thing he ever had to a child.

"I— Natasha, I um, I always did care about you. I'm not very good at saying things like this but-" he paused for a moment, but before he had the chance to continue she smiled sadly. He could've sworn her eyes were brimming with a shine only found when watered with tears.

"I know." she whispered, returning to the soft whisper when she had first entered the room.

It was better this way, no tears necessary.

He gave a curt nod to her, and just like that, she slowly retraced her steps back towards the shadows in which she emerged from and made her exit. Ed watched as the last wisps of her silver blond hair disappeared, consumed by the dark shadows, and the pained feeling in his heart, that was when he knew he really did go wrong with the first promise he'd made to his late father.

Not that he cared.

* * *

And so she ran.

Ran, ran, ran far away. Never once bothering to look back, it wouldn't do her any good, and besides was there anything or anyone— besides her uncle who had no detached himself from her— who'd be there ot miss her?

She kept running up that hill where just on the other side was here means of transportation, a motorcycle Ed had managed to purchase for her a while back as a _'Happy Getting Out of Prison!'_ 'party'. She put on a leather jacket for warmth, simple purple colored helmet, and finally goggles. As the engines roared, deafening her ears to any other sound as it gave it's first roar, her hands shook and for a moment she paused and set on the brakes.

She took a look at the file once again and decided to carefully open it without trying to cause any crease, only to find no the inside where several perfectly preserved papers. One of which was an encrypted map in Russian— as she thanked goodness she had always been better at reading the language rather than speaking— which turned out to be telling her a the secret location of a suitcase of money left to her, roughly three hundred thousand dollars, cold hard cash, or so it said on the map.

Natasha's heart skipped a beat when the next paper turned out to be her uncle's very own will. _'To my dearest goddaughter, Natasha Ivanov,'_ it begin, and quickly she put it away, unable to bear reading that as early as it was.

Finally, the next paper turned out to be a small file held together by a single paperclip, containing all the information on this Alexander Johnson. She studied long and hard on every inch of his details in the small picture of hs face, while chewing on her lip until finally she broke the skin and began to bleed a bit. Snapping out of her thoughtful state, she kicked off the brakes and started off.

"So that's just how it ends. Done and overwith." she muttered bitterly to herself, almost as if she were pretending to be shocked. For whose she was, the life she led, these were little things compared to so much more from the past. Still, although she wasn't surprised, it didn't meant that she didn't know what to think of at the moment.

The realization hit her that no longer would she be scarred with the identity of Alice May. No, not anymore. From here on out, right after getting that suitcase of cash, then as soon as the future coming second she would blow past the welcome sign to Crystal Cove— Alice May would be dead.

And Natasha Ivanov would be more or less _free._

Suddenly her heart raced, and Natasha gave a breathless smile. Of course she was aware that the road was long, both literally and mentally. Something was bound to happen, but as of the moment, well, why not enjoy it?

After all, it's sweet little things like these that hardly last.

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**xxx**

**Note: Next chapter is when I shall finally reveal the character Alexander himself, after keeping him more or less in the dark for some time. Heh, I know, I sound like I'm on major crack. Alice May- Russian, trained spy type, Ed Machine's goddaughter, can I get any more weird? Bear with me on this and trust me. XD**


End file.
